Reading Time: 2 minutes Antibiotic stewardship refers to a bundle of strategies to reduce antibiotic resistance. The aim of this stewardship effort is, yes, to treat infections effectively resulting in better health, but also to use the right antibiotic at the right time for the right infection, since this is a key measure for curbing future resistance. You may […] Read more
Guide Health: Antibiotic stewardship – it’s everyone’s job
As many as half of the 25 million prescriptions written for antibiotics in Canada each year are unnecessary
Guide Health: The pitfalls of sleep medication
Reading Time: 2 minutes Getting a good night’s sleep may be something you take for granted, or alternatively it may something with which you struggle. From time to time everyone experiences some degree of sleep problems with about 10 to 15 per cent of Canadians experiencing insomnia. Of those about half have chronic difficulty with sleep. Insomnia is simply […] Read more
Guide Health: Rushing to get to the bathroom
Don’t ignore incontinence. Often, there’s a cause that you can correct
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you rush to the bathroom, but don’t quite make it, you are not alone. About 3.3 million Canadians experience some degree of incontinence, although even this is only an estimate because many people don’t admit to incontinence or just accept it as a normal part of aging. The two most common types of incontinence […] Read more
Guide Health: Are probiotics as good as they claim?
While probiotics are mostly considered safe, some people may need to avoid them
Reading Time: 2 minutes Probiotics seem to be everywhere these days. You find them as capsules on store shelves and as ingredients in food products, and they’re even available through internet shopping. Probiotics are promoted for a wide variety of conditions, but the main use is “good intestinal health.” Your intestines contain more than 100 trillion (yes, trillion!) micro-organisms […] Read more
Guide Health: Hormones for menopause. Yes or no?
Women need to balance the risks versus the benefits of treatment
Reading Time: 2 minutes Menopause symptoms like “hot flashes” and “night sweats” are a big problem for every woman who experiences them. Yes, the symptoms will pass, but in the meantime you’re just miserable. Hormones like estrogen are involved in keeping your body temperature within a normal range, and when their levels decline in menopause, body temperature regulation is […] Read more
Guide Health: Proton pump inhibitors. Too much of a good thing?
Proton pump inhibitors excel at stopping heartburn, but there can be problems
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you have ever experienced heartburn or indigestion and have taken a proton pump inhibitor drug, you know they work great. Sites in your gastro-intestinal tract known as proton pumps, “pump-out” stomach acid in order to digest food. But if they overproduce acid and it is refluxed upward, they contribute to your stomach complaints. Gastrointestinal […] Read more
Guide Health: The new opioid therapy
In some cases, opioid treatment provides little benefit while risking dependency and overdose
Reading Time: 2 minutes In May 2017, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published new opioid therapy recommendations for chronic non-cancer pain. (The recommendations do not apply to acute pain, such as a broken bone or after surgery, and they do not apply to pain associated with cancer.) It is estimated that 15 to 19 per cent of Canadians live […] Read more
Guide Health: Restless leg syndrome
Why is this condition under-recognized?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Restless leg syndrome is just what its name suggests, an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, especially at night or late in the day. Restless leg syndrome can also create unpleasant sensations in the legs, sometimes even deep within the legs. These symptoms are most noticeable at rest, such as when you are in bed, […] Read more
Guide Health: Blood clotting — new alternatives to warfarin
Advances in anticoagulants offer people more treatment options
Reading Time: 3 minutes You probably take your blood’s ability to clot for granted. You cut your finger, and somehow the bleeding stops on its own! However, if you have a disease or condition for which you need to prevent clotting, you may take an oral or injectable anticoagulant. Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heart beat that […] Read more
Guide Health: The scoop about naloxone
Even if you think no one you know could ever overdose on opioids, it can still make sense to have naloxone on hand
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the increased incidence of overdoses of opioids like fentanyl, you may have heard about naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan. Your first thought was probably that this issue doesn’t concern you at all. But before you dismiss it completely, take a minute to learn a little bit more. You’ll be glad you did. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
